Sonny and the Sunsets

Talent Night At The Ashram

Sonny Smith is often lumped in with his San Francisco garage rock peers. But while San Fran musicians Kelley Stoltz and the Fresh & Onlys Shayde Sartin pitch in, there is a sense of mysticism on the fifth Sonny and the Sunsets record that differentiates it from much of the three-chord rock coming out of the city. With elements of glam and soothing, Beach Boysesque pop, Smith weaves a fantastical web of tracks originally conceived as short films, giving Talent Night At The Ashram a film score quality.

Naturally, Smith's 60s bedroom acoustic folk is still on display, but also so much more: the summertime jangle of opener The Application has a charming doo-wop twist, while a heavy mod influence can be heard in clap-along Alice Leaves For The Mountains. Smith has fashioned the record as one for every season: like films you feel compelled to watch again and again, it has a range of emotions, all showcasing Smith as one of the most unheralded songwriters out there today.